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New Faculty - Prof. Kil-Wan Ko

• • Kil-Wan Ko joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at KAIST in March 2025 as an Assistant Professor. He earned his B.S. (2015), M.S. (2017), and Ph.D. (2020) from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at KAIST. Before joining KAIST, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis, 2023–2025), the University of Southern California (USC, 2022–2023), the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, 2021–2023), and KAIST (2020–2021).
    
    
  • His expertise in geotechnical earthquake engineering, soil dynamics, and geohazard assessment has been shaped through Ph.D. and postdoctoral research. His research primarily focuses on dynamic soil-foundation-structure interaction (SFSI) during earthquakes, seismic rocking shallow foundations, soil liquefaction, and dam cracking and soil erosion in earthen dams and levees due to surface rupture. His multidisciplinary experience spans geotechnical earthquake engineering, foundation engineering, and structural dynamics, utilizing experimental (geo-centrifuge), numerical, and analytical modeling. In recognition of his research, he was awarded the Bright Spark Lecture Award for outstanding and promising young geotechnical researchers under 36 from the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) in September 2022.
    
    
  • His research is driven by fundamental scientific questions with a strong emphasis on practical engineering applications. His work ranges from laboratory testing, numerical modeling, and centrifuge experiments to the analysis of earthquake case history data. His studies encompass multiple scales, from understanding the mechanical behavior of soils at the microscale to evaluating foundation-structure system responses and city-scale seismic effects. Based on the insights gleaned from his Ph.D. and postdoc research, he aims to advance hazard assessment for urban environments, with specific focus on: (1) dynamic structure-soil-structure interaction during earthquakes; (2) energy-based soil liquefaction evaluation and its impact on seismic structural responses; (3) dam cracking and concentrated leak erosion in earthen dams due to surface rupture and differential settlement; and (4) developing cutting-edge experimental geotechnical techniques using geo-centrifuge testing.
    
    
  • The Geotechnical Earthquake and Geohazards Lab (GEHL), led by Professor Kil-Wan Ko, is actively recruiting students interested in studying geotechnical earthquake engineering and natural hazards. GEHL welcomes students who possess intellectual curiosity as researchers and a sense of responsibility as engineers. Impactful research on natural hazards involves either developing efficient and innovative methodologies to address universal challenges or proactively investigating future geotechnical risks and proposing solutions. GEHL is always open to discussions on unique methodologies, new research ideas, and emerging topics. If you are passionate, inquisitive, and driven to conduct pioneering research or if you would like to engage in further discussion, please feel free to contact Professor Kil-Wan Ko through his email - kilwanko@kaist.ac.kr.